🎯 Core Decision: Triple-Mode System Implementation

Decision Context: Symphony needs to implement three distinct operational modes while maintaining architectural consistency and performance standards.

📋 The Three Modes

• 💻 IDE Mode: Minimal text editor with file tree, terminal, and syntax highlighting
• 🎩 Maestro Mode: Full AI orchestration with automatic project generation and intelligent workflow management
• 🎹 Harmony Board Mode: Visual node-based interface for composing and debugging AI workflows

⚖️ Critical Constraint: All architectural approaches will achieve identical final UI appearance due to shared design system standards. The choice impacts development complexity, performance, extensibility, and business model alignment.

🏗️ Approach 1: Extension-First Architecture

📐 Implementation Strategy

All modes beyond basic IDE functionality implemented as complete extensions with full UI ownership capabilities.

🏛️ Core Architecture:
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ SYMPHONY MICROKERNEL            │ ← 6 essential components only
│ • Text Editor                   │
│ • File Tree                     │
│ • Syntax Highlighting          │
│ • Settings System              │
│ • Terminal                     │
│ • Extension System             │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
           ↕️ Extension API
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ MODE EXTENSIONS                 │
│ 🎩 Maestro Mode Extension       │ ← Complete UI takeover
│ 🎹 Harmony Board Extension      │ ← Node editor interface
│ 🔧 Any Future Mode Extensions   │ ← Unlimited extensibility
└─────────────────────────────────┘

✅ Advantages

🎯 Strategic Alignment

• Demonstrates extension system capabilities to marketplace and enterprise customers
• Validates "eating your own dog food" philosophy by using extensions for core features
• Proves extensions can build complex experiences equivalent to built-in functionality
• Creates authentic technical narrative for enterprise sales and developer adoption

💰 Business Model Benefits

• Enables premium mode monetization (Maestro/Harmony Board as paid extensions)